Cisplatin is a representative platinum-complex anticancer drug containing platinum II in its center and a widely-used chemotherapeutic agent to treat a variety of tumors, and has shown a relatively excellent anticancer effect. However, as serotonin is synthesized and serotonin 5-HT3 receptors are activated in endocrine cells present in the digestive tract, gastrointestinal motility as well as damage to the gastrointestinal tract are considerably inhibited, thereby causing a variety of toxicities in the gastrointestinal tract, for example, gastric stasis of food. Particularly, cisplatin serves as a representative redox cycler producing active oxygen species (Chirino and Pedraza-Chaverri, 2009) to cause damage to the function and DNA of gastrointestinal mucosal cells, and therefore it is known to cause a digestive disorder, particularly, a motility disorder (Chang et al., 2002).
Accordingly, in tumor treatment by cisplatin, the control of side effects of a digestive system is a very important aspect to utilize a potent anticancer effect of the drug, and in development of various drugs for the digestive system including a current antiemetic, cisplatin is used to induce a representative model of a digestive system disorder, and various 5-HT3 receptor blocking agents, antiphlogistic drugs and antioxidants have useful effects on a gastrointestinal disorder caused by the cisplatin treatment.
Meanwhile, gastrin is a representative hormone, which is produced and secreted from digestive tract endocrine cells focally present in gastric mucosa, particularly, pyloric mucosa, and stimulates gastric acid secretion so as to increase a gastric digestive function. A gastrointestinal motility disorder, particularly, a decrease in gastrointestinal motility is caused by cisplatin, and as a result, gastrin production is considerably reduced, thereby further increasing indigestion or compaction.
Also, it is known that, today, 90% or more serotonin is present in the digestive tract, and the serotonin present in the gastrointestinal tract is synthesized by tryptophan hydroxylase, mostly stored in gastrointestinal tract endocrine cells present in mucous epithelium, that is, enterochromaffin cells, and then secreted from gastrointestinal tract endocrine cells to a matrix due to various stimuli. It is known that the secreted serotonin generally enters gastrointestinal tract mucous epithelial cells by a serotonin re-uptake transporter, and then removed by being degraded into 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid by an intracellular enzyme, monoamine oxidase, present in digestive tract mucosa and a tissue underneath the mucosa. Meanwhile, it is known that cisplatin serves to synthesize serotonin of endocrine cells present in the digestive tract and activate serotonin 5-HT3 receptors, or inhibit activity of the intracellular enzyme serving to degrade serotonin, monoamine oxidase, thereby considerably inhibiting the gastrointestinal motility as well as the damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
Meanwhile, Pinelliae Rhizoma is a sour herbal medicine, and is known to be warm in nature, dry, and effective in the spleen, stomach and lung. The Pinelliae Rhizoma has warm and dry properties, and thereby has an effect of eliminating dampness and abating phlegm. Therefore, the Pinelliae Rhizoma is an important herb for eliminating phlegm, and abating the counterflow of energy (qi). The Pinelliae Rhizoma also has effects of inhibiting coughing, lowering the energy (qi) of the lung, increasing an appetite, activating the spleen, and removing excessive phlegm and a bloated feeling from the chest.
In addition, the herbal medicine, Scutellariae Radix, is the root of Scutellaria baicalensis, and has a bitter taste and a cold property. The herbal medicine, Scutellariae Radix, is generally used in lung, gall bladder, and large intestine treatment, and specifically, has effects of eliminating dampness and heat, compensating for toxicity, and arresting hemorrhaging.